I have been working on my baguettes since last summer. I tried both sourdough, yeast with poolish, yeast with biga, straight dough yeast, spraying my dough vs not spraying, and I steam with lava rocks. Only once have I managed to create a blistery crust. In the bakery I work at, all of the breads baked in the steam oven come out with blistery crusts - except for the baguettes and all the breads made from the same dough.
Some notes:
- In my bakery, the baguettes are made with poolish which I have noticed is way over fermented. When I score and bake the baguettes I can notice the dough is weak and sticky, despite not being very high hydration.
- All other breads in the bakery that do get blisters are cold retarded before scoring and baking, though they aren't as cold as I would have them at home in the fridge. They are shaped as either boules or batards and they are all sourdough. They are also generally not overfermented. In the bakery, the baguettes are shaped and baked within 1-2 hours after it is mixed (with the exception of the poolish that is cold retarded for 1 day).
- All breads in the bakery are baked in the same oven with the same temperature and steam settings.
- At home, I make higher hydration baguettes. I usually cold retard the dough and then shape and proof afterwards at room temp. They are also not as overproofed as the baguettes are at the bakery.
Some thoughts on why:
1. I wonder if overproofing can reduce blistering by causing the gluten to break down and not as able to trap gas around the skin. But then again at home where I do not overproof (at least as much) I still have issues.
2. Maybe the lack of cold retard after final shaping is the cause.
3. I have wondered if the shape of the baguette reduces blistering but I doubt it.
Baguettes don't want to be blistered! :)
Jokes aside, Blistering is often in combination with cold retardation.
yeah this video also makes the same claim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1SqNwS0q2I despite being in the anti-blister camp.
I already do a cold retardation in my bulk ferment before I preshape and final shape, so I'm going to experiment with cold retardation after final shaping.
yeah this video also makes the same claim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1SqNwS0q2I despite being in the anti-blister camp.
I already do a cold retardation in my bulk ferment before I preshape and final shape, so I'm going to experiment with cold retardation after final shaping.
Edit: dont know why it double replied and im not sure how to delete this -_-
Hi I answer some of this in your other question in another thread.
1. I do think if the gluten is weak then the blisters are less likely to form.
2. I do think that having less or no shaped cold retard leads to less potential for blisters.
3. I don’t think that the shape of the dough has anything to do with it but have no evidence to prove that.
Benny
Thank you Benny for your replies and tips on both this and the other post. I'm going to try to experiment more with cold retardation after final shaping.
Benny is correct. Athough I also think that blistering is more prevalent in levain breads vs. commercial yeast breads.
Baguette shape has nothing to do with blisters. Boudin bakery baguettes are the proof of that. See their baguettes below. This defect is due to the long cold proof of their baguettes before baking, about 8hrs at 12-15C.With time it became the trademak of their San-Francisco French bread and became not only acceptable but even desirable.
It is not limited to sourdough, happens to yeasted baguettes or other yeasted breads and rolls as well. Commercial bakeries and restaurant sometimes struggle with this defect when they cold retard their dough or proofing goods before baking. It also appears when bakers add cold retarded sourdough starter to the yeasted baguette dough, i.e. when using sourdough as an improver.
Reminds me of the giant lady on that Twilite Zone episode. (In a good way) All jokes aside That is some wonderful-looking bread right there!